After a whirlwind weekend trip home, I just barely made it through my work week in just enough time to enjoy the long weekend. I went shopping with the sister-in-law, laid out by the pool, drank a few Sam Summers and I was lucky enough to go out to breakfast with Lindsey and her cuter than cute daughter, Lyric. She is a serious goofball and I was able to snap a photo of her that pretty much sums her up:

18 May 2013

I mentioned {here} that Parks and I have been busy, busy, busy and also that we have been hiding a secret.

Well... we've only been hiding it from some of you... namely MY WHOLE FAMILY!

Exactly one month ago, Parker and I decided we are moving back home!!

As many of you know, we have been house hunting here in Vegas for quite some time and as we continued to look for houses we kept asking ourselves the question, "why?" Why are we staying? Well... for one, we have jobs here...and friends here... and it is a lot of work to move cross country. After a long night of talking, we decided the most important thing was to be near our family and we are SO excited about our move! So we planned to surprise my family with the news.

I am home now in MA and I just told my family last night that I was moving home. Parker and I planned it all out as a Mother's Day gift and here's how it went:

I made a card for each of my family members to give to my mom. None of my siblings had any idea what was going on either. They just had to play along.

In each card there was a "reason" and a little gift. They didn't know what the reasons were for until the end.

Tina gave my mom the first card:

This came with a $10 gift card to Bagel World - the best bagel place known to mankind.

Dad gave mom the second card:

Jarvis is our kitty that my parents have been kind enough to watch for a year now. My dad loves Jarvis even though he hates to admit it... so this is a little kitchen magnet I ordered to remind us all how much he loves the little guy.

My sister, Kathleen, was out for the night so John's girlfriend stepped in - Thanks Kathleen!

I have missed the seasons so much! Don't get me wrong, I actually love the weather in Vegas, but I miss having four distinct seasons. Summer being my favorite - so I gave my mom a summer scented candle that I love.

John gave my mom the next reason:

Pretty self explanatory! We do need a new family picture though. I have a feeling we will get plenty at the wedding.

Lastly, was my card:

And under the seat was the picture of the map above!! It was really sweet and played out EXACTLY like I imagined :)

And no worries... I video taped the whole thing for your own viewing pleasure ;)

It was 12:30am when we did this so I apologize for the low lighting!

So, everybody - it's official - we are moving home!!!

I will miss everyone in Vegas, but I am excited to start the new chapter of our lives back home in Massachusetts.

10 May 2013

Parks and I have been busy, busy with lots of things that we cannot share with you yet.... mwuahahahaha the suspense must be killing you...

no worries...

you will find out soon enough what we are hiding ;)

In the meantime, it was teacher appreciation week this week and my students SPOILED me.

I must say I was feeling really, really appreciated. The students and their parents had SO many kind words for me, they brought me sweet gifts, and were just amazing all week long.

Monday was bring your teacher fruit day and I forgot to snap a pic, but I got lots of green apples (the only type of apple I like) and strawberries! I also got some apple sauce and a Fruity Pebbles cereal bar from one of my out-of-the-box thinkers!

Tuesday was bring your teacher flowers day:

my little ole' apartment now smells just wonderful!

Wednesday was write your teacher a note or draw them a picture:

that painting was given to me by a student a few months ago... warms my heart!!

Thursday was bring your teacher their favorite drink:

Yahhh... my students know me pretty well... and this is only half of the gift cards and coffee drinks I got! I'll be at Starbucks every day ;)

Friday was bring your teacher a treat:

See? I told you, I was spoiled. That's a 12 pack of Pellegrino - a twelve pack!!!

My week ended today with field day and while I am exhausted from running around all day, my heart is full. My little first graders are my own little family and I hope they know how much they mean to me!

06 May 2013

I spent most of my Sunday looking through old pictures and memory books and reminiscing about the past. Old friends, old boyfriends, old apartments. I laughed, I cried (probably a little too much), and most importantly, I made Parker wonder what the hell was wrong with me.

After going through lots of OLD stuff I got excited about all the NEW stuff that is coming up in my life. This will be a bit of a re-post from my teacher-blog, but I wanted to share how I asked my bridesmaids to be in my wedding!

First let me introduce the important gals in my wedding:

{My maids of honor}
Tina & Weezil

{My Bridesmaids}

Soon to be sister-in-law, Romanda

& oldest, dearest, bestest friend, Shayla

Most of my main ladies live back on the East Coast and I rarely get to see them so I wanted to make sure they knew how special they were when I asked them to be in my wedding! They all already knew they were in my wedding but around Christmas time I officially popped the question!

I saw these on Pinterest about a year ago and I knew I wanted to put my own twist on these adorable boxes!

Here is my take:

[Outside]:

I bought the boxes at Michaels (super cheap - like $5 each) last summer and painted each of them with a flower and my bridesmaids' initials. My base wedding color is navy and my accent colors are orange, yellow, and coral! I think it'll be perfect for my September 20th wedding.

[Inside]:

First, I used my handy-dandy glue gun to line the top and bottom of the boxes with 2 different fabric squares. Inside each box were the following:

Nail Polish - OPI Mimosas for the Mr. and Mrs. (what I will be wearing on the big day)

Dress - example picture; the girls are all picking the style that will look best on them

Personal nick-knack - Each item reflects my main ladies' personalities! Tina: Owl air fresheners for her new car, Kathleen: key cap! She just got her license soon and is sporting a new ring of keys at all times, Shayla: eat, drink, and be merry wine opener, Romanda: mustache iPhone cover!

Wedding Cards - I stole the titles right from my inspiration and tweaked each card to make it fit for my maids! The text on each card is below.

The
Big Day:

Parker
and I are getting married!!

We
will be tying the knot at {blablablabla - address disclosed}.

Our
wedding ceremony will take place on

Friday,
September 20, 2013.

More
details about the day to come…

for
now, just remember this date!

xoxo

The
Dresses:

Each
of you are uniquely beautiful and my main requirement for attire is that you
feel comfortable and gorgeous. Who is better to pick out your dress, than you?!

I
have made it easy for you because I have already picked the color, length and
fabric:

Navy,
short, & silk chiffon from JCrew.!

You
can go online to their wedding website and pick whichever one suits you best.

The
Girls:

Kristina,
my amazing younger sister, who makes me laugh more than anyone in the
world! {Maid
of honor}

Kathleen,
my youngest sister, who is growing into a beautiful young woman right in front
of my eyes! {Maid of honor}

Shayla, my oldest, dearest, and bestest friend who I share so many of my
favorite memories with! {Bridesmaid}

Romanda, my soon-to-be sister in law, who I look
up to in so many ways as a smart, independent woman! {Bridesmaid}

I
love all of you so much and I cannot wait to celebrate this day with you!

Your
Role:

I
know weddings can wind up being a lot of work for bridesmaids. I don’t want
that to be the case. Do not worry about bridal showers, bachelorette parties,
gifts, etc. I truly only have one wish… that you are present on this very
special day in my life.

I
want you to…

enjoy
this day with close family and friends.

look
and feel beautiful.

wipe
away all my happy tears.

understand
how much your presence is appreciated.

What
I am trying to say is…

Will
you be in my wedding?!

And guess what... they all said YES!!!

I was one happy gal.

My best ladies will all be present to partake in the happiest day of my life!

I better stop now before I cry some more... thank God my period is almost over.

03 May 2013

Do you ever wonder what other couples are like when they are by themselves? When no one else is around and they are at their freest most "us" moments?

These are things I think about.

Maybe I am just nosy, but I find it endearing to see the "behind the scenes" of a couple's relationship.

Parker and I can do some ridiculous things when it's just the two of us and that's what makes me wonder... what kind of silly things do others do? Do they call each other goofy pet names? Do they talk in baby talk? Do they chase each other around the house in their underwear? What?

Here is a little TMI for your Friday:

STINK TONGUE!

What the heck is that you ask? Just a little something stupid that Parker and I do. It is one of our many weird "us" things and it generally happens like this:

Susan is happy with Parker because he did something thoughtful.
Susan hugs Parker and goes in to give him a sweet kiss on the lips.
Right as their lips are about to touch, Parker jabs his tongue in Susan's mouth - quickly, just once, in and out, and yells, "HA! STINK-TONGUED YA!!"
Parker then laughs uncontrollably as Susan rolls her eyes.

Sweet moment ruined.

No worries... I always get him back.

Was that too much information? Is your Friday ruined? I have no shame.